Audit finds Running Aces shorted horsemen $437,000

The Office of the Legislative Auditor in Minnesota has completed a review of the Running Aces Harness Park and has found that the track shorted horsepeople and owners a total of $437,000 over a four-year period.

An article by the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal explains that Minnesota Harness Racing Inc., the group representing horse owners, had alleged that the raceway – operated by North Metro Harness Initiative LLC – had miscalculated payments to horse owners which came via the pool of money that had been wagered on races.

The report states that the Minnesota Racing Commission requested the review due to the allegations, and, after its special report, the Office of the Legislative Auditor has recommended that the commission help the two sides negotiate some sort of settlement.

The article goes on to state that the track operator has taken the position that it owes the horse owners nothing, and that it has referenced an agreed-upon payout formula and a subsequent agreement from the spring of 2013.